The Amber Knight's Vow to the Saint's Left Hand - Chapter 00

The Saint’s Engagement.

Can the man chosen by the Saint be called a fortunate one?

“Quill, second son of the Langbart family, is chosen as the fiancé of the current Saint Lynette Celies.”

That single sentence written on the paper was the beginning of it all.

Quill Langbart hurriedly ran his eyes over the paper handed to him, fighting the turmoil inside his chest. The smile of Prince Leonard, sitting directly across from him, was infuriating. That smile spoke of an irreversible decision.

“I wonder, when did I become part of the royal family?”

“Well, I haven’t heard any talk of the Langbart family letting go of their second son.”

“Your Highness, I’ll stab you.”

“Well, wait. I’ll provide an explanation that will satisfy you.”

Prince Leonard placed his hand on top of a pile of papers stacked on his desk.

“What do you think this is?”

“A document waiting for approval, isn’t it?”

“It’s the voices of the people of Aikrant.”

Prince Leonard flipped the top page and held it in front of Quill.

What was written on it were the protests of the people, submitted through some lord. The current King of Aikrant wanted to hear the people’s voices, so he had been collecting their opinions once a month.

And the content of this document was about the engagement of Saint Lynette Celies.

At the age of sixteen, Lynette was chosen by the stars and embarked on a journey to visit the four temples of the Aikrant Kingdom, wielding the Holy Sword. At each temple, she would offer prayers of purification for six months. After completing the two-year journey, the fierce temperament of the magical beasts would be pacified, and the damage from the rampaging magical beasts in Aikrant would significantly decrease.

Once the saint completed her two-year role, she was granted the honor of marrying a royal family member who was below second in line to the throne, or someone related to the royal family.

However, now before him, Prince Leonard showed him this pile of papers.

No matter how traditional it may be, what would it mean to marry an eighteen-year-old saint to the current royal family? This was written in the document.

It wasn’t that the royal family lacked trust; on the contrary, the current king enjoyed high support among past kings.

Similarly, it wasn’t that the saint lacked trust. In Aikrant, the saint was sometimes revered even more than the royal family.

So, what was the meaning of this? Quill tilted his head in confusion.

Prince Leonard raised three fingers on his right hand and bent them one by one.

“Second in line to the throne. My adorable little brother is still eight years old.”

“Of course, I’m aware of that.”

Prince Leonard’s younger brother, Felix. The praise of being adorable was not an exaggeration, nor a bias from the older brother. He was truly adorable. His honey-colored hair cut neatly at the chin, his appearance screamed of fairy-like bl00d. Despite his age, he was mature, and it was no surprise that the royal family’s education was highly regarded.

“Third in line. Duke Brockmeyer is married, thirty-five years old. Fourth in line, Duke Eichberk is… wait, how old is he? The old man must be nearly forty by now?”

“Forty years old. I don’t think it’s too early to call him an old man. Your Highness, I don’t understand where you’re going with this. Shouldn’t Prince Felix still be a candidate?”

Among the noble marriages, age didn’t seem to matter much. Setting aside the married Duke Brockmeyer, a twenty-year age difference with Duke Eichberk was perhaps uncommon but not unheard of. However, with eight-year-old Prince Felix, a ten-year age difference was still considered fine. The angelic, adorable young prince, growing up with him peacefully by his side. Quill thought it would be a pleasant life.

“The old-fashioned ways are out of date. Marriages where the age gap is too wide are simply not in vogue these days.”

The old faction referred to families who had served as nobles since before the founding of Aikrant.

The old faction, which valued family background and bloodline, had lost its influence, and the merit-based new faction had been in control of the political core for some time. While the new faction still didn’t disregard family status, there was a growing trend toward prioritizing mental compatibility in marriage.

“I’ve heard that an age difference resulting from a strong bond is actually welcomed as true love.”

“If only there was the person’s will, right? In the case of the saint, this is a decision made unilaterally by the royal family. To marry someone twenty or thirty years older without their choosing themselves—it doesn’t sit well with the public.”

Quill understood the reasoning, but he didn’t quite agree with it.

If Felix would be an issue, Quill would be as well. At twenty-five, Quill was no different from having a seven or ten-year age difference. It wouldn’t seem much different to the public.

Seemingly seeing through Quill’s doubts, Prince Leonard smiled.

“If there’s no suitable candidate, why not just let her choose for herself?”

“Huh?”

“I asked the saint if there was anyone she wanted to form a bond with.”

“Huh?”

“And she chose you, Quill. You’re the one she picked.”

“… Huh?”

Prince Leonard’s reasoning flew right over Quill’s head at the final point.

During the purification pilgrimage, elite knights from the White Knights were selected to accompany the saint. The White Knights were glamorous knights who played roles in the protection of nobles and ceremonial events.

Quill belonged to the Black Knights. They stood at the frontlines to hold back magical beasts until the saint finished her purification journey. Even after the purification, they would hunt the magical beasts that managed to slip past her protection.

Quill had never met the saint.

“Are you sure this isn’t a mistake?”

“I thought so too, so I secretly checked with the knight training grounds. The amber-colored eyes and black hair, no one else matches.”

“My eyes aren’t amber, though.”

Amber stones come in various colors, but they’re typically yellow to orange.

However, Quill’s eyes were a dark red. The high-quality amber was indeed rich in red, but his iris was so dark and ominous that it couldn’t be called amber. It would be better described as pomegranate stone.

“She insisted they were amber. I checked her face too. No mistakes, I made sure to explain everything, including your family’s background.”

“Even so, Miss Celies doesn’t mind?”

Prince Leonard nodded and looked serious, as if presenting his trump card.

“Hey, Quill. With this, you’ll be free from the engagement, won’t you?”

At that moment, a good wind blew.

Within Quill’s heart.

The guilt of glancing at all the marriage proposals stacked high for the twenty-five-year-old who was considered a leftover bachelor. The feeling of being judged at parties, enduring the sticky gazes and smiles laced with curiosity, and the hunger pangs thinking about the meat he didn’t get to eat because of interrupted conversations. Not to mention the unsatisfied feeling of not being able to get drunk on the fine wine, only to find himself dreaming of soaking in barrels of it that night.

He would be free from the engagement, from the parties.

Looking back, it was a rash and completely dishonest thought about the person he was supposed to marry.

But at that moment, Quill was easily swept along. The fact that he couldn’t easily refuse a royal order pushed him further.

“You won’t accept?”

“I accept the command.”

Quill’s response was as though he had been appointed as a knight. Prince Leonard grinned as though he had anticipated this result.

Thus, Quill Langbart would welcome Lynette Celies, the former saint who had regained her freedom, as his fiancé.